Highlights
- •Stimulation of the anterior pretectal nucleus (APtN) evokes antinociception in rats.
- •Stimulation of APtN activates two descending pathways.
- •One APtN pathway relays in the ipsilateral lateral paragigantocellular nucleus.
- •Other APtN pathway relays sequentially in two mesencephalic nuclei.
Abstract
Stimulation-evoked antinociception (SEA) from the anterior pretectal nucleus (APtN)
activates mechanisms that descend to the spinal cord through the dorsolateral funiculus,
but the encephalic route followed by the descending pathways from the APtN is not
completely known. This study evaluated the changes in the SEA from the APtN in the
Wistar rat tail-flick test after lidocaine-induced neural block or N-methyl-d-aspartate-induced
neurotoxic lesion of the deep mesencephalic nucleus (DpMe), tegmental pedunculopontine
nucleus (PPTg), or lateral paragigantocellular nucleus (LPGi). The SEA from the APtN
was less intense after neural block of the contralateral DpMe or PPTg or the ipsilateral
LPGi, but was not changed by the neural block of the ipsilateral DpMe or PPTg or the
contralateral LPGi. Antinociception did not occur when APtN stimulation was carried
out 5 minutes after lidocaine or 6 days after N-methyl-d-aspartate injections into
the contralateral DpMe and the ipsilateral LPGi, or into the contralateral PPTg and
the ipsilateral LPGi. We conclude that the SEA from the APtN activates 2 descending
pain inhibitory pathways, one relaying in the ipsilateral LPGi and another relaying
sequentially in the contralateral DpMe and PPTg.
Perspective
The antinociceptive effect of the APtN stimulation involves 2 descending pathways:
one relaying in the ipsilateral LPGi and another descending contralaterally via relays
in the DpMe and PPTg.
Key words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: August 03, 2016
Accepted:
July 19,
2016
Received in revised form:
June 8,
2016
Received:
February 24,
2016
Footnotes
Supported by Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq).
The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Identification
Copyright
© 2016 by the American Pain Society
